Throughout recorded history gold has consistently been one of the most important and most sought-after minerals known to man. It has been employed for thousands of years as a form of currency, it has been fashioned into ornaments and jewelry and it has found important industrial applications as well. In very recent times the growing scarcity of gold and its importance in monetary terms have caused gold prices to skyrocket throughout the world.
The recovery of gold from its ores is commonly accomplished by one of a number of methods including flotation, amalgamation with mercury or by the cyanide process. Where the gold content of the ore is high, smelting is economical; the cyanide process is employed for the lower concentrations of gold. Where the gold content is very low relative to the amount of other metals contained, these processes all become inefficient and expensive.
Because of the difficulties and high costs associated with this grade of gold ore, many sources of gold in this category have not been fully developed and a new and appropriate method for recovering gold from these ores will undoubtedly have very significant monetary value.